The Black Sheep
by eponinehugo
Summary: The Black Sheep of the Tracy Family returns, but is she all that she appears to be? Rated T for more adult themes later and some mild bad language. Please Read and Review!
1. Chapter 1

He could see nothing but darkness, but he could hear them speaking clearly enough. He tried to raise his hand and reach to them through the blackness, but it was to no

avail. He succumbed to loss of consciousness again, but as he did a name rasped from between his parted lips,

"Rachel."

_He was falling fast again, deeper and deeper he fell until he landed in a place that was oh so familiar to him. He had landed in his old house, where he and Lucille had first _

_lived with their children. _

_A thirteen year old Scott was sat at the enormous dining room table with nine year old Virgil. A lump caught in Jeff's throat as he thought of how young and innocent they _

_looked. Scott had his arms wrapped around his younger brother. Although Lucille had died six months ago, Virgil had taken the loss particularly hard. Jeff admired how his _

_oldest son had matured in a short space of time, Scott was now practically the man of the house and had been so much stronger than himself. The sobs coming from _

_Virgil tore at his soul with the same profoundity that they had fourteen years ago, when these events actually unfolded. Even now, in his dreams, he still did not know how _

_to cope and thus walked away from the scene. The living room had a much brighter atmosphere, Alan and Gordon, both seven and eight years old were playing pirates on _

_the couch which had become their make - shift pirate ship. Jeff's face broke a smile as he watched his youngest sons leap off the couch with the plastic swords he'd _

_bought them from the travelling fair the previous year, when their mother had been alive. Alan ran to him, his curly blonde hair hanging over his face,_

_"Daddy!"_

_Jeff wrapped his arms round his boy before silently leaving the room. He ventured up the wooden staircase of his mansion, past the crystal chandelier, a recent billionaire _

_he'd been exceptionally extravagant with his money. He had quickly realised the true value of money. His money hadn't been able to save his wife. Despite his fortune, his _

_children had lost their mother. Despite his money, he could do nothing to comfort them, he didn't know how. Lucille had always been the one to bandage their grazed _

_knees and wipe away their tears, frighten away the monsters from their closets... Jeff felt redundant without her. He peeked into John's room. His second eldest son, _

_just eleven years old was sat on his bed, desperately trying to get the toddler in his arms to calm down. The blonde little girl in his arms sobbed persistently, refusing _

_sweets, juice and cuddles from her older brother. Jeff felt a pang of guilt over this child. It wasn't his first pang of guilt and it certainly wouldn't be his last. The boys he _

_could handle without Lucille, but the toddler was different, she was a girl. Jeff felt out of his league. _

_"Dad," The blonde boy on the bed spoke, "Thank God you're here! I don't know what she wants, please help me."_

_A voice cried out in his head, _

Just hold her, she's your daughter for Christ's sake, just hold her. You can correct years of unhappiness in one action. Hold your baby!"

_Regardless of this, he turned and left the room, leaving his eleven year old son with a responsibility to great for him to handle. He missed his wife._

The darkness began to disintegrate around him and again the name emerged from his lips, a hoarse cough,

"Rachel."

He heard the voices of his adult sons around him again.

"Oh shit! Always that name!" Scott cried as he slapped the wall, "Rachel is gone, dead!" He left his hand on the wall and leaned his head against it, exasperated.

"Shhh!" Hissed Virgil, "He's waking up, do you want him to hear you?"

The boys crowded round their father's bedside.

"Alan, go and get Brains and tell him Dad's waking up."

Alan raced off and Jeff opened his eyes to see the concerned faces of four of his sons watching over him. He coughed.

"What happened?"

"You were dreaming again, Dad, another nightmare. You still have a pretty high fever too." Virgil spoke softly as he helped ease his father into a sitting position.

"Rachel," Jeff wheezed, "I was dreaming about Rachel."

"Dad, Rachel's dead,"

Jeff cut his son off,

"We don't know that, Virgil."

"We spent the best part of two years searching for her..."

A look from his father told him he was fighting a losing battle and he let the subject drop.

Brains entered the room, followed by Alan, who although 21 years old still retained his baby - boy good looks that Jeff remembered from his dream about their childhood, he

still had the same curly blonde hair and sky blue eyes that so many girls had swooned over whilst he was in high school.

"H h h h how are you f f f f f f f f feeling, M Mr. Tracy?"

They waited as another fit of coughing took its hold of Jeff, when he got his breath he answered, "Not too good, Brains, not too good."

"W wwell I took a look at your chest x -ray and b b blood samples and it seems you have quite a b b bad case of pneumonia. I I I I'm afraid it d d d d doesn't look too

gggggood."

"What can you do for him, Brains?" John said, his fair face lined with worry.

"W w w ell I ccccan ttttake him tttto the ssssick bbbay and ggive him some ininintravenous antibiotics and ffffluids, bbbut mmostly we'll jjust have to wwwwwwait this out."

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A young oriental man bowed to the tall, bald Malaysian man in front off him. The Hood smiled and said,

"The time is near, Ling, bring Sadie to me and we shall implement the plan."

The young man muttered, "As you wish, Sir." and scurried away. He rushed down the corridors of the Malaysian temple until he reached a little room in the east wing. He

knocked on the door before letting himself in, A young blonde girl of about fifteen or sixteen lay on top of her bed listening to music. The young man coughed to get her

attention.

"Oh, hi Ling. Whassup bro?"

"Mr. Hood requests an audience with you, Miss Sadie."

"Uncie Hood? Is it time?" She sprang to her feet excitedly and it was impossible not to notice how painfully thin the child was, almost emaciated. If it weren't for the dark

rings around her dull hazel eyes and her pasty complexion she would have been considered to be quite an attractive girl.

"I believe so, Miss."

"Yes!" She punched the air with a jump and tore off down the corridors until she reached The Hood's main chamber. She skidded to a halt in front of him and he smiled

down at her, she was tiny, barely over 5 foot. She stood panting in front of him, struggling to get her breath back but trying to make it seem effortless, she did not want her

Uncle Hood to perceive her as weak.

"Sadie, its the time you've been waiting for, soon enough you will be able to prove yourself to me. Part one of the plan I discussed with you is being implemented today.

When my men return I will let you know what I want you to do for me. Now you can repay me for the past few years of kindness I've shown you. I trust you remember your

time on the street before you came here and how I rescued you from a life of self degradation?"

Sadie nodded enthusiastically, although she shuddered a little as she remembered her year of living on the streets, the things she'd had to resort to in order to feed herself.

"Well once you've proved yourself you can have a permenant home here as a member of my team. Your patience for this opportunity has paid off and you will know soon

enough what you have to do to prove your loyalty to me."

"I AM loyal to you though, you're the only person who's ever given a damn about me!" She exclaimed.

"Well then, Sadie my dear, it shouldn't be too hard for you to do as I ask and prove your loyalty then, should it?"

"No. I'll do whatever you ask of me and revel in it!" She laughed. The Hood nodded at her and smiled and she knew that was her hint to leave. She skipped back to her

room feeling elated. She had a vague idea of what was coming and she was going to enjoy helping Uncle Hood execute his revenge.

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In Tracy Island's infirmary, Jeff drifted in and out of consciousness, and slipped to and from dreams and nightmares.

_He was looking down at his small ten year old daughter who was crying and clinging to his waist._

_"You can cry all you want Rachel, but you're going to boarding school and that's final. I just can't cope with six children on my own. Maybe if your mother was here things _

_would be different, but she's not. I've got Alan heading to Astronaut School, he's going to need a lot of help, Gordon swimming in the Olympics, all these things take time _

_and I still have a business to run too. Come on, you're a big girl now, I need you to understand..."_

_The girl took a step back and looked at him, he could see the hatred through her moist eyes and tear - stained face._

Did my baby girl start hating me this early on?' _he thought._

_"Fine! Abandon me! It's not like I'm not used to it! I just can't match up to your precious boys!" Rachel turned on her heel and ran to her room._

_"Rachel..." Jeff called after her, "Its not like that and you know it! Don't make me ground you, young lady!"_

_"Ground me all you want, it's not like I have any friends I can go see anyways!"_

Those final words struck a chord with Jeff, he'd been too busy to notice his baby girl was lonely. He awoke with a grown and the ever - so - familiar feeling of guilt washed

over him again. He'd felt the same way every day for the past four years, ever since she disappeared. He sighed. It was too late to feel guilty now. There was nothing he

could do to make things better. With tears pricking his eyes he rolled over and fell back to sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

Sorry took me so long to update. Thanks for all the reviews - they really mean a lot to me and I'm sorry I can't reply personally but I'm a very busy student and I barely get time to write this, let alone reply, so apologies there.

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Jeff was rudely awoken from his sleep by the sounds of the siren going off, his mind swimming and going into autopilot he desperately tried to roll off the bed only to feel the firm hands of his second youngest son push him back.

"Oh no you don't! I had a feeling you'd try to get up. Dad, your sick, Scott's handling things back here, Virgil's taking care of mobile control and Alan's handling the rescue, its only a small deal, they don't need me." Gordon explained as he eased his father back into the bed.

Jeff coughed a little and croaked, "What's the case?"

"Small forest fire in Russia, nothing Alan and Virgil can't handle alone, just a couple of dudes trapped in a log cabin up there that could be tricky, the fire itself can be handled easily by the local fire department, they're just having trouble getting the family trapped there out."

Jeff nodded and let himself settle, the rescue was fairly routine. He closed his eyes and drifted back into his troubled sleep.

_"What's this all about?" Jeff cried anxiously._

_"Mr. Tracy, please can we do this in my office? The children here are upset enough by this already."_

_Jeff nodded and reluctantly followed the tall, large lady into her office. He sat down on a leather padded chair that creaked beneath his weight. Jeff thought how it was funny what insignificant things you notice during traumatic events. The lady took her seat across the desk from him._

_"What happened? Where's Rachel?"_

_"The truth is Mr. Tracy, we don't know." The lady's voice was beginning to tremble now and the lines on her ageing face had become more prominent. _

_"What do you mean you don't know? This is a boarding school, how can you just lose a 13 year old girl?" His voice was starting rise now as Jeff began to lose his temper. _

_The woman shifted uncomfortably in her seat and her hands suddenly became more interesting than they'd been before as she looked down and examined them as she spoke,_

_"Well, she must have slipped out during the night, Mr. Tracy. We have most of our staff searching for her as we speak, not to mention the police. We will find her, Mr. Tracy." _

_Jeff leaned forward and buried his head in his hands, he had an awful feeling he'd seen the last of his baby girl._

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Virgil and Alan landed Thunderbird 2 just clear of the flames that surrounded the little cabin and began to walk towards the cabin. They were greeted by a young woman carrying her baby. The woman used her free hand to grasp at Virgil's sleeve, tears streamed down her pale face and sweat caused her dark hair to cling to her forhead and neck.

"We need to get you out of here, Ma'am, come with us." Virgil took the woman by the arm but she refused to move. She kept crying the same words over and over again in Russian. Virgil looked at Alan who shrugged. Virgil frowned, "Ma'am please, its not safe, we have to evacuate you and your baby."

Still the woman refused to budge, however she took a deep breath and indicated to the forest behind her, where the fire was rapidly gaining ground, "Yuri."

"Yuri?" Alan asked, puzzled.

"Yuri." the woman persisted, frantically pointing to the trees.

"Yes Ma'am, there **is** a fire, **that's** why we need to get you to safety." Virgil tugged on her arm again, but the slender woman was steadfast.

"Virge, I think Yuri's someone's name." Alan piped in.

Virgil frowned again, he knew the hope of finding someone alive near the fire was slim, they'd have died of asphyxiation by now. But still he had to try. He indicated to the woman that he was going to find Yuri and Alan led her off to the safety of Thunderbird 2.

"Virge, I'll drop her off and then come and pick you up, ok?"

Virge nodded in agreement, checked his breathing equipment and headed towards the burning trees.

Alan bundled the woman and her baby into Virgil's 'bird and took off, flying her to the safety zone of a nearby town. He then dropped her off with the local authorities and returned to the log cabin to pick up Virgil, with or without Yuri, the fire was becoming too ferocious now and Alan knew as well as Virgil did that no one without breathing equipment would have been able to survive any longer than the woman and her baby did. Alan landed Thunderbird 2 smoothly and noticed that the flames were now not more than half a mile from the log cabin. He emerged from the 'bird and looked frantically round for his brother. There was no sign of him. Alan walked towards the trees that Virgil had gone hunting in, but there was no sign of his brother. He walked back to Thunderbird 2 and used his comm watch to contact Virgil. Anxietey lined the young man's face as he realised that Virgil had less than 20 minutes of oxygen left in his tank, he'd have to find him soon. He raised his wrist to his face and pressed the button,

"Alan to Virgil, come in?"

He waited.

Nothing.

He tried again

"Alan to Virgil, come in Virgil?"

Silence greeted him.

"Virgil are you there?" Alan's voice was high pitched and frantic as he struggled to remain calm. He was only 21 and the youngest member of International Rescue. he'd never felt so alone and frightened in all his life. No amount of training can prepare you for the prospect of losing a brother. In severe distress, Alan decided to contact Scott.

"Alan to Scott, come in?"

"Go ahead Alan." The first thing Scott noticed was his younger brother's eyes swimming with what threatened to be tears.

"I can't find Virgil, help me Scott, please I can't find him, I don't know what to do, he went looking for some Yuri guy and when I came back he'd gone, please Scott help me!" Alan made no attempt to hide his panic, he could now see flames licking the far trees and the thought of Virgil burning to death somewhere seized him with an intense grip. The tears in his eyes began to flow freely, for the first time in years he felt too young and inexperienced to handle the responsibilty that his job placed upon him and hementallyberated himself for ever leaving Virgil alone.

"Ok Alan, I'm checking for his biosigns now - get yourself onto the 'bird and out of danger, Alan, that's an order!" Scott spoke firmly to his brother in a vain attempt to snap Alan back into reality and focus.

Alan complied as Scott checked for Virgil's biosigns. There were none. That meant only one of two things, either Virgil had taken his watch off for whatever reason, or he was dead. Scott favoured the first idea although it seemed unlikely. With a heavy heart he knew what he had to do, there was no sense in losing 2 brothers by endangering Alan's life, he ordered Alan home.

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As Virgil began to stir, the first thing he noticed was the pain, it was everywhere. His body ached in places he didn't know existed. Opening his eyes he found himself in a dark, cold room. His brain slowly began to register the situation he was in. His feet weren't touching the floor and his arms ached, cold bits of metal dug into his wrist. It slowly dawned on him that he was a prisoner, in shackles. He shood his head, desperately trying to clear the clouds from his mind, as he did so the world span and his stomach rebelled, threatening to reject the remains of his supper. He swallowed hard and closed his eyes. He was medically trained, yet he couldn't even give himself the once over to determine what was broken. He assumed, judging by the cloudiness of his mind, that he had been drugged with something, although he had no idea what. He also knew that someone had beaten him up pretty badly, the aches and pains from various different parts of his body told him that. He inhaled deeply and was relieved to feel that at the very least, none of his ribs had been broken. He began to feel sleepy again and dark fingers threatened to pull him back into unconsciousness. Without thinking, he shook his head again to free himself of his drowsiness, the room spun once more and he regurgitated his stomach contents down the front of his silver coloured uniform before slipping back into unconsiousness.


	3. Chapter 3

As Thunderbird two docked back at Tracy Island, Scott wondered desperately how he was going to explain to his ailing father how a routine rescue went so drastically wrong. The truth was he didn't know! He could see Alan's pale face as he descended from Thunderbird 2 alone and knew that telling their father was a job left only for him, Alan was still just a kid. He approached Alan carefully, the kid looked shell shocked.

"Alan..."

Alan shrugged and walked past him. Scott swallowed the lump in his throat, fearing he'd lost two brothers rather than just one and followed Alan into the house.

From the doorway he could hear his father's gut wrenching coughs, his heart sank lower, how could he tell his father he'd failed and lost his little brother out there? He gripped the doorway and leaned into it, he was the eldest, he was supposed to be in charge and know exactly what to do, the truth was he was lost and had no one to turn to.

"What happened out there, Scott? Alan's vomiting in the bathroom."

Scott raised his head to see John standing across the room from him,

"Oh God John..." Scott sank to his knees and wept. John ran to his brothers side, put his arms around him and whispered,

"Scott, where's Virgil?"

The older man took a deep breath, "I, I don't know, I don't know what happened. Oh John..."

"Shhhh." John took his older brother into his arms.

"John, I couldn't find any biosigns for him." Sobs shook Scott's entire body, "How am I gonna tell Dad? It'll kill him, oh John I can't be responsible for Dad's death too! Oh God, Virgil!"

"Scott," John pulled his brother away from him and looked him in the eyes, "None of this is your fault, we risk our lives everyday in this job, you know that."

"I failed."

"Scott, you have not failed. We'll find Virgil, he's tough, he can take care of himself and I'm sure wherever he is he's fine."

Scott nodded and pulled himself together, suddenly ashamed at his outburst, "I'm sorry John, I should be taking care of you, I'm the big brother."

"It's ok bro, even you need to show your feelings sometimes." John replied, "Do you want me to tell Dad for you? He's gonna need to know, he'll see that Virgil's missing soon enough."

"No, its ok, I was in charge, I should take some responsibility. First I'm going to check on Alan though."

"Gordon's with him. Dad's been sleeping mostly, but his cough's getting worse, Brains has kept him in the infirmary for observation." Scott nodded grimly, he gave John's shoulder a big squeeze and then went to find his youngest brother.

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When Virgil awoke again he felt mildly better, aside from the aching in his arms and wrists most of his wounds seemed to be healing and his dizziness had passed, although his grogginess told him he was still concussed. The stale smell of vomit clung to him and his stomach clentched but he didn't retch. He tried to focus through the darkness to find something that would give him a clue as to where he was, but the room was pitch black. He felt his heart rate accelarate as he fleetingly considered the possibility that he'd been blinded, a thought which he quickly dismissed, it was unthinkable. He hung his head, he wasnt normally a quitter but his situation looked utterly hopeless. Virgil closed his eyes and tried to sleep, but the pain in his arms and wrists kept him awake. He'd been hanging with his eyes closed for hours before he finally heard someone approaching his cell. He kept his head low and waited, praying that the person came into his cell and that he might at the very least get some answers about who had kidnapped him and what they intended to do with him. The footsteps halted outside his door and he heard the bolts being drawn back and the key being inserted into the lock. The door opened surprisingly quietly and Vigil opened his eyes a crack to see a tiny, slender person scurry in, a silhouette against the light that flooded in from the hallway. His brow furrowed in confusion, there was no way this tiny person could have overpowered him in the forest, there had to be someone else. He also felt slightly relieved, if he could get down from the shackles it shouldn't be too hard to escape. His heart filled with hope and he waited to see what the person was going to do next. The person disappeared into the darkness around him, he held his breath, listening. The next thing he knew he felt a burning pain across his left cheek and temple as the young person punched him across the face, then kicked his groin. Virgil cried out in pain tears pricking his eyes, he coughed and vomited again.

"Ewwww." the voice beside him squealed. His attacker was female, he thought, but she didn't half pack a hard punch. She went in for another kick, sensing what she was about to do Virgil croaked,

"Who are you?"

The girl stopped and laughed. "You mean you haven't worked it out yet? So much for the genius of International Rescue!"

"You work for the Hood?"

"Oooooh well done, aren't you a clever little rescue man?" She walked round the front of him, "Yuk, you stink too! Looks like our little drug hasn't agreed with you too well."

"What did you give me?"

"Whaddaya you care? It's not like you'll know anyways."

"Please, I'm medically trained, I need to know, what did you give me?"

"Meh, I dunno, some sedative or something, Propo something or other. Not my department buddy!"

"Propofol?"

"Yeah, that was it! You DO have brain after all!" she scoffed.

Virgil coughed again, the taste of vomit rising into his mouth, 'shit, propofol! that will explain why I'm so goddamn sleepy, my blood pressure's in by boots' he thought. He swallowed and said, "So, what exactly is your department?"

"To help Uncle Hood get all the secrets of International Rescue from you!"

Virgil sniggered, "A little girl like you! I'm not even sure you understand what it is you've gotten yourself into!"

The earned him another kick in the groin, Virgil broke into a fit of coughing again.

"You aint so tough now, hey rescue man? And yeah, I know what I'm into, Uncle Hood is the only person who's ever treated me like a human being! His enemies are my enemies!" She punched him in the stomach and moved as he began to retch again.

The light suddenly snapped on above him and Virgil grimmaced in the sudden brightness. In the doorway of his cell he saw a guard, a mean looking, massive goriila of a man and for the first time Virgil felt truely afraid. The man spoke, "Sadie, get your ass out of here, The Hood would like an audience with our prisoner."

Virgil looked down at the girl and his mouth fell open, she looked back with the same astonished expression.

"Rac..." She ended his sentence with a final punch to his stomach and ran from the cell, leaving Virgil coughing and spluttering.

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Scott found Alan sobbing his heart out on the bathroom floor, Gordon was sat next to him desperately trying to calm him down.

"I killed him, I killed my brother, it was my idea he went looking for the missing man, I killed him." Alan was repeating over and over again in between retches.

"I don't know what to do Scott. Is it true? Is Virgil dead?" Gordon looked up at his older brother and Scott shuddered at just how young his little brothers looked, Alan crying on the floor like a toddler and Gordon looking up at him with enormous, blue, innocent eyes.

"We don't know anything yet Gordo, but I had to get Alan out of there, it was dangerous. He was in such a state, I thought it best to order him home. It was my mistake, I should have made him wait."

Gordon looked at his weeping little brother, "No Scott, you did what was best, Alan would have ended up hurt out there like this on his own, it was good you brought him home."

Scott nodded grimly. "I'm going to fill Dad in on what happened and then John and I are going to go back and search for Virgil."

"I'll come to."

"No, Alan and Dad need you here. I'm going to ask Brains to sedate Alan for a bit, get him to rest, he's going to make himself ill."

Gordon nodded once and decided to life Alan up off the floor, "Come on bro, lets get you into bed, let Brains have a look at you."

"Virgil should be here, he can look after me. I want Virgil." Alan sobbed.

"I know bud, we're gonna find him, ok." Scott soothed.

He and Gordon exchanged worried glances before picking Alan up and carrying him to his bed. Scott then set out on his difficult mission of telling his father.

On his way to the infirmary Scott was intercepted by John.

"Listen, Scott I was thinking, Dad's asleep and Brains says he's not getting any better, if anything he's getting worse. Why don't we go out and try to find Virgil before we tell him, that way when we find him, Dad need never know!"

"Good idea. Alan's sedated, he'll probably be out for hours yet and we can leave Gordon to take care of things here."

Scott and John filled Gordon in on their plan and set off in Thunderbird One.

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The guard pulled Virgil roughly to the atrium, where The Hood quietly and patiently awaited him. To his embarrassment, Virgil found himself shaking slightly, he'd never felt so vulnerable in all his life. The guard threw him directly in front of The Hood, who laughed at the sight of the young man quivering in front of him covered with his own vomit. The Hood turned to Ling, "Fetch Sadie for me, tell her the time has come to prove her love for me."

Ling nodded and hurried out of the atrium.

Virgil coughed, "She's seen me Hood, the game's over she knows who I am, she'll never do as you say now!"

"I wouldn't be so sure, Virgil Tracy, Sadie has a lot to resent you and your family for, I'm sure she'd love the chance to repay you for your years of neglect!"

Virgil's mouth dropped open. The Hood continued, "Oh yes, I know all about how your family treated her, packed her off to boarding school, never wrote to her, never noticed how bad the bullying got at the boarding school, never cared, you didn't even look for her when she ran away."

"That's not true! We searched for nearly two years!" Cried Virgil, outraged.

"Is that all your sister was worth? Two years of half - hearted hunting?" The Hood smiled, "I knew who she was when I picked her up from the whore house, I knew she was the daughter of Mr. Tracy, owner of the then newly founded International Rescue, the man who left me to die! She doesn't know who her family have become, but my guess is she's just found out, and I'm certain she's going to want her revenge. Imagine it, your family didn't bother to rescue you, but spend their lives helping complete strangers, that would build up some strong feelings of hatred!"

"Whore house?" Virgil murmered as a wave of guilt tore through his battered body.

"Yes, whore house! Maybe if your family had tried to find her just a little bit harder, put all those billions to good use, she would have never had to resort to such measures! Ah, but do not fret Dr. Tracy, you'll get your chance to observe the damage the years have inflicted upon your sister, I think I can hear her coming."

Virgil turned to see his sister flying in through the door, "Whaddaya want me to do with this IR scum, Uncle Hood?" she growled. Virgil got a proper look at her for the first time, she looked awful. She was anorexically thin and her blonde hair hung in dull tatters around her pale white face. She didn't even give him a second glance.

"Patience, Sadie, there is no rush."

"It's Rachel!" Virgil cried, "Her name is Rachel!"

"Oh, Sadie dear, do you know this man?"

"No, I never really knew him at all, lets just say we are acquinted."

Virgil looked down at the floor and knew his situation was not good, but if he could somehow talk some sense into Rachel...

"Well then Sadie, as you know this man I'm going to let you choose your weapon."

"Weapon? Ah right!" She smiled, "He's gonna pay big time!"

The Hood displayed a collection of weapons before her, she opted for the sword but as she tried to lift it she toppled over. Rather than feeling relieved at this, Virgil felt more concerned at how fragile she looked, he knew that he couldn't fight her back for fear of seriously damaging her. Rachel then picked up a small wooden club and swung it, she managed the weight of it well and smiled to herself. The guards backed away from Virgil and the Hood cried out, "You can defend yourself if you like, Tracy."

Virgil stayed where he was and braced himself for the first blow.

**Tee hee hee - I love cliffhangers! Thanks again for the reviews guys! If you liked it and want more hit the little button at the bottom of the page!**


	4. Chapter 4

Scott and John landed Thunderbird One at the edge of the forest where the fire had been, bare, burned trees where everywhere and the ground beneath them was black and crisp under their feet. John shook his blonde head in awe of the devastation around him and Scott sighed, knowing now that it was impossible that anything could have survived the fire. Nevertheless they had to try, Virgil could be alive out there and that hope was good enough reason for them to search through the destroyed terrain. Scott turned to his younger brother,

"Ok, I'll start searching through the remains of the forest, why don't you circle the perimeter and head towards the nearest towns, see if anyone has seen him?"

"FAB Scott." John replied, a faint smile fleeting briefly across his lips as he remembered what a good team they all made. Scott sensed what he was thinking and clapped him brother on the back,

"We do good, Johnny."

"I know, but if Virgil..."

Scott shook his head, "Don't even think it, we need to keep positive. We'll find him."

Johnny smiled, "Of course we will! Don't doubt it for a second. Now lets get moving, the longer we wait the worse off he could be."

"Take care, ok. I don't want to be searching for two little brothers." Scott pulled John into a tight embrace and felt his little brother swallow hard, knowing that John was on the verge of crying he joked, "I mean where would that leave International Rescue? We can't operate on half a team!" John laughed a little as Scott let go of him, "Now get going and keep in touch."

John stepped back, nodded and headed back towards Thunderbird One.

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Jeff tossed and turned in his bed, the fever gripping him more and more intensely, he cried out and then settled back down into a restless sleep and once more he dreamed of her.

_"Hey baby! How was school?" Jeff asked his eleven year old daughter as he picked her up from boarding school, The Lynton Academy._

_Rachel shrugged and shied away from his eye contact. _

_"Is something wrong, sweetie?" _

_Rachel shook her blonde head and continued to stare out the window of his private jet._

_"I've got a surprise for you." He smiled._

_That got the child's attention and for the first time she looked at him, the deep purple ring around her right eye very apparent._

_Jeff gasped, "Oh my God, Rachel, what did you do to your face!" _

_Rachel shrugged again, "I fell and hit my face on a table."_

_Jeff laughed, "You should be more careful kiddo, you look like you've done ten rounds with Mike Tyson!"_

_"Mike who?"_

_"An old wrestler from many years ago."_

_Rachel nodded. "So what's the surprise?"_

_"We moved house while you were at school, we've got our own Island; you're going to love it!"_

_"Is there a pool? Is there a lot of land? Do I have my own room? How big is it?"_

_Jeff laughed again, "Yes, yes, yes and big, very big, we've decorated it too! You can have your friends from school to stay for a while over the summer if you like?"_

_Rachel fell silent again._

_"What's wrong pumpkin?"_

_"I don't fit in." She replied quietly, avoiding his gaze she turned to look out the window again, the July sky was so clear she could see for miles, they were still flying out of London and the girl had a very clear view of the London eye and Big Ben._

_"Nonsense! Tracy kids aren't unpopular! I won't hear any such talk young lady, ok?"_

_Rachel nodded but said nothing. Reaching into her bag she pulled out her favourite book, 'The Complete Guide To Prehistoric Life' and began to read._

_"Still into dinosaurs huh?"_

_She smiled, "As always."_

_"Which reminds me, reach into my flight bag would you,hun'?"_

_Rachel placed her hand into the battered brown RAF bag, it came into contact with something soft, she tugged it and a purple stuffed Tyrannosaurus Rex came out. The little girl squealed with delight and wrapped her arms round her father._

Jeff slowly came round to find Brains checking his vitals.

"Virgil and Alan not back yet?" He rasped.

"Nnnnnot yet, Mmmmmmister Tracy, I bbbbb think the mmmission was hard than they fffffff initially thought."

Jeff nodded, he knew he shouldn't be concerned, often missions took longer than they thought, but he couldn't shake the niggling feeling that something just wasn't right.

"How am I doing anyway?"

"Nnnnot to badly, bbbhowever not as gggggood as I wwwould llllllllllllllllwish."

Jeff closed his eyes and drifted back into his dreams.

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Virgil kept his eyes closed and it wasn't long before the first blow to his head knocked him to the floor. His head spun and his stomach retched painfully and Virgil noticed for the first time how thirsty he was, not remembering the last time he'd had a drink. He stayed where he was on the floor and made no effort to get back up to his knees, it would be over quicker for both him and Rachel if he didn't put up any resistance. He was so concerned she'd hurt herself during her onslaught, she looked so frail. Beneath the loud banging in his ears he could hear the Hood laughing,

"Why don't you defend yourself, International Rescue?"

He felt Rachel's boot connect with his ribs, once, twice and then a third time in the same place. On the third kick he heard a crack and knew she'd broken a rib. A sharp pain exploded in his chest and he coughed, blood spilling from his mouth. He rolled up onto his hands and knees and caught the blood in his palm. Rachel laughed and kicked him in the jaw, sending him flying onto his back and knocking the wind out of him. Virgil struggled to get his breath without coughing, but it was no use and with every cough more blood spilled over his lips. He rolled up onto his knees, grimacing with the agony as he did so. He panted, tears pricking his eyes from the pain in his chest he clutched his side with one hand and his bloody mouth with the other. He raised his head slowly to see his sister standing over him, club raised ready to deal a blow to his head that would probably fracture his already damaged and weakened skull. However he didn't shut his eyes, he made eye contact with her, as he did, he noticed she was crying. Virgil reached his hand up to her face, once more noting how tiny she was, he cupped her face in his hand and wiped away a tear. Rachel sobbed harder and dropped the club to the floor.

"Finish him, Sadie." The Hood shouted, his tone deadly.

Rachel didn't turn from Virgil, but she shook her head.

"Remember who rescued you, Sadie, who took you in. I'm asking you, I'm ordering you to finish him."

Rachel shook her head again, sobs shaking her entire body.

The Hood lost his temper, he stormed over to where brother and sister were captivated by each other. He grasped the club and swung it across Rachel's head, there was a loud crunch and her limp body flew across the floor.

The Hood turned his back and walked away, bored with the losers that had been before him.

"Ling take the prisoner back to his cell."

"And Sadie, Sir?"

"Yes, take her with him for a couple of hours, let him see the damage to his sister. I want her back though mind," The Hood gave Virgil an evil smile, "I'm not quite finished with her yet."

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John and Scott returned home with no luck of finding their brother. Gordon hadn't moved from Alan's side the whole time they'd been away. Scott went straight to Alan's room to tell his brothers the bad news, whilst John went down to visit their father.

Gordon looked up from the place he'd been staring at on Alan's duvet cover, his eyes filled with hope. Scott shook his head and Gordon's gaze fell back to their sleeping brother. The two men remained silent until Gordon finally spoke, "Do you think he's..."

"No!" Scott cut in, a little too sharply, he saw the look of pain on Gordon's face and sank next to his brother. "Jeez Gordo, I'm sorry. No I don't think he's dead, I just don't know where he is."

"How can you be so sure Scott?"

"Do you remember when you had that hydrofoil accident?"

Gordon nodded.

"Well at one point it was touch and go as to whether you'd survive, let alone walk again, everyone braced themselves for the worst, but I didn't. I just sensed that somehow you'd be alright, you'd come through the other end and it would all be ok, and I was right here you are."

"Yeah, but Scott I was alive and you all knew where I was, this is different."

"Ok, well when Mom first disappeared, you were only very young, what were you, six? Seven? Well everyone thought Mom would be ok, I mean she was Mom, nothing could harm her. But I just knew we'd never see her again, just sensed that she wasn't with us anymore. I don't feel it with Virgil, I just don't and you know how close he and I are, he's my best friend. He's alive Gordon and we will find him!"

"What about Rachel? Do you think she's dead?"

Scott scowled, "She's dead to me! She left us Gordon!"

"Dad misses her. Brains told me while you were away that he was dreaming about her again, kept calling her name in his sleep."

"She left us, that's all there is to it. I couldn't care less where she is, but yes I do believe she's alive."

"She was thirteen when she left! Kids make mistakes Scott! What if shes out there and she's hurt? None of us made the effort with her! Not really!" Gordon broke down and sobbed, "What's happening to our family Scott? First Mom, then Rachel, now Virgil and maybe Dad. What are we going to do?"

"Jeez Gordon, Rachel vanished over 3 years ago now, she's history. Don't worry, we'll find Virgil and Dad will get better and things will be just like they used to be."

"Oh and that makes losing our sister ok does it Scott? As long as we're all alright? What would Mom think of who we've all become? She was so desperate for a little girl and we didn't take care of her, that little piece of Mom and we lost her!" Gordon stood up, pushed his brother out of the room and wept.

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In the darkness of the cell, Virgil did the best he could to tend to his little sister. Despite his own injuries and the severity of them, years of medical training kicked in. He felt her head, her long hair was crusted and sticky with blood seeping from a huge gash on the left side of her head. He tore off one of the sleeves from his shirt and did his best to stem the bleeding, praying that she'd suffer no brain damage. He rolled her onto her back and painfully leaned forward to put his ear to her mouth and check her breathing, his own breaths coming out in irregular and wheezy rasps. Her breathing seemed steady but shallow. He placed his fingers to her neck and checked her pulse, it was rapid, irregular and weak. That concerned him. He gently rolled her into the recovery position, it was too dark to check her pupils and see the extent of the damage to her head, he'd have to wait until she woke up. Sitting beside her and carefully rubbing her arm to keep her warm he gave himself a once over and knew his situation wasn't good.


	5. Chapter 5

_Jeff Tracy walked through the corridors of his daughter's school, following the woman with the lined face to her office._

_"Please take a seat, Mr. Tracy."_

_Jeff sat opposite the woman obediently._

_"I assume you are aware as to the reason why I have called you in for this discussion?"_

_"Er, no I'm afraid not, Rachel doesn't tell me much I'm afraid."_

_The older woman sighed, "I know Rachel has had her problems since she started here. Although, she is an exceptional student, possibly the brightest girl this acedemy has seen for over 30 years, she has a bright future ahead of her Mr. Tracy, you should be proud."_

_"However? Look Mrs.," Jeff's memory escaped him and he glanced at the name plate on her desk, "Er, Professor Hargreaves, I know you didn't call me all this way to discuss my daughter's academic achievements, now if you please I'm a very busy man with a business to run, could we please cut to the chase."_

_The woman sighed again, she hated this side of her job, dealing with awkward and often disinterested parents, "Well, I'm not sure you're aware, but your daughter has always been a bit of a loner, to be quite frank with you, Mr. Tracy, the girl lacks a great deal of social skills. That has never really been a problem, however just recently she's started fighting,"_

_"Fighting?" Jeff cut in, astonished._

_"Yes fighting, particularly with the girls in her dorm. The other girls are becoming quite upset by Rachels, erm, antisocial, behaviour. Indeed, I've found myself having to seperate Rachel from other children at lunchtime and ban her from after school activities. Furthermore, we've had to move her to a separate dormitory."_

_Jeff gasped and shook his head, "There has to be something wrong, my children have never had problems mixing with other students before. May I talk with her about it?"_

_"I was hoping you would say that, I would like to deal with this problem with great celerity as I'm sure you can imagine. I don't want to have to expel your daughter Mr. Tracy, as I said before I haven't seen a girl with such potential in many years, however it is my responsibility as Principle of this school to put the welfare of the students first. Rachel is suspended for a week and then she will be placed on probation, providing we can control her recent behaviour, she is welcome back indefinately, however if there is no significant improvement, I'm afraid the Lynton Academy is not the place for her."_

_The car journey from the school to where Jeff had parked his jet was a silent and tense one, Jeff looked over to his twelve year old daughter who was silently gazing out the window, her "The World Of Human Evolution" book hugged lovingly into her chest. She had a large bruise on her left cheek and bloody scratch marks down her arm and Jeff's anger boiled uncontrollably. He pulled over and stopped the car._

_"Right, I am sick of your silence! I want some answers young lady! What the Hell did you think you were doing? Starting fights with other children! I can't believe it! Why Rachel? Why is it so hard for you to behave like the other girls there? Why do you have to be so Goddamn different!"_

_Tears welled up in the little girls eyes, "I'm sorry Daddy, I just got sick of their teasing and I don't always start it, Jenny Heinbeck started it first, I was defending myself."_

_"I don't want to hear your excuses, you've brought the bullying on yourself; always insisting on behaving differently, making yourself a target! Rachel I am so angry with you right now! Why can't you just be normal?"_

_The tears spilled over and trickled down her face, she clutched her book closer to her and turned to look out the window again. Jeff snorted, restarted the car and the taciturn journey resumed._

Jeff woke up with a start and found himself for once alone. He clutched his face with his hands and wept, each sob painfully wracking his chest, but he didn't care. These nightmares had plagued him since his baby girl ran away and he had never told anyone about them, just carried on as normal, Jeff Tracy, solid as a rock. Now, ill and alone his emotions took control, he missed her like he missed Lucille. Lucille, who would have been so disappointed in him. He hadn't been there when his little girl cried for help and now he'd never see her again and it was entirely his own fault. He rolled onto his side, hugged his knees up to his chest and cried himself to sleep.

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Rachel awoke in the dark cell, her head pounded and she felt nauseus. Slowly she pushed herself over onto her back and instantly wished she hadn't, a sharp pain seared through her head and her eyes clouded over, she squealed in agony and gasped, her hands clutching her injured skull. He cry was enough to wake Virgil. He sat up against the cold wall of the cell and blinked a couple of times to wake himself up.

"Rachel?" He whispered.

"Virgil?"

"I'm here honey." He reached his arm out through the blackness and touched her, "How are you feeling?"

"Sick. My head hurts." She whined. "Oh God, Virgil I'm so sorry, I didn't mean, well I did mean, I'm sorry." She finished lamely.

"Hey it's ok." He soothed.

"I feel really really sick."

Virgil frowned, "Come here, let me check you over."

Rachel edged carefully towards him. He felt her forehead, "You're burning up." he frowned as he also noticed she was shaking. He felt her pulse again, it was the same as before, rapid, weak and irregular. He felt her stomach gently, noticing her spleen was slightly enlarged, his concern growing he pulled her into him, wishing he had his med - kit with him. She rested her head on his shoulder and tucked her small feverish body under his arm, careful not to lean on his damaged ribs.

"I missed you." She whispered.

"I missed you too baby. Although if I wasn't so worried about you I'd be fuming! Where the Hell have you been the past 3 years? We looked everywhere for you, we thought you were dead!"

"I'm sorry. I'm really sorry. I wanted to come home, I really did, but I was so worried about how everyone would react. Tell me what I've missed, is everyone ok? I can't believe your with International Rescue; I bet Dad's well chuffed!"

Virgil laughed, "We're all International Rescue, Rach', Dad's in charge." The girl's mouth fell open as she was rendered speechless. "But, er, keep that quiet, nobody knows." Rachel nodded in reply. "So, what about you? Is what Hood said true? Did he really get you from a ... a..."

"A brothel? Yes." She nodded. "I had nowhere to go and no money when I first left Lynton, I spent the first four weeks sleeping rough on the streets and moving daily so I wouldn't be found. Then I was approached by a man, we all called him Chub cos he was fat," she giggled vaguely, "He said he ran a home for girls like myself, I decided it was my best shot at getting a roof over my head and some protection so I went with him. I spent about a year there before Uncle Hood paid for me to go live with him. Apparently I was one of Chub's best workers - being a blonde. Hood paid a lot of money for me and has never hurt me, until..."

Virgil cringed at her story, which he was certain was greatly edited for his benefit, he gave the girl as tight a squeeze as he could manage, given his condition, "Come home with me Rach'."

She shook her head, "I can't. This is my home now. Uncle Hood has been so good to me, I can't just leave. Besides, no one will want me home, I left remember?"

"Sure we want you home kiddo, please come back with me. The Hood hit you, he doesn't care about you."

"No Virgil, it's been great seeing you again, but I have a whole new life now, I can't just up and leave anymore when things get bad. Sure he hit me, but he was angry. He's been so good to me these past two years."

"Dad's sick, Rach'. I think he's dying, he'd want to see you."

"That's sick Virgil! Lying like that to get me to go home! That's real low! I didn't think you had it in you to resort to blackmail!" She growled and pulled away from him.

"I'm not lying Rachel."

"Yeah sure you're not! That's low Virgil." She stood up and shakily backed away from him. Their argument was interrupted by a rattling as someone put a key in their cell door. The door creaked open and Ling appeared,

"Sadie, The Hood will see you now, he said your punishment for disobeying him is over."

"Rachel, please..."

"Goodbye Virgil."

Virgil buried his head in his hands as the cell door slammed shut behind his sister.

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Scott cursed under his breath and strode away from Alan's room fuming. He decided to go by the infirmary and finally tell his father the bad news. Entering the infirmary he was surprised and shocked to witness his father weeping. He hovered in the doorway, unsure whether to let his father know he's there or to leave him to his sorrows and come back later. Part of him was concerned as to whether John had already told him about Virgil. He decided to make his presence known and comfort his father.

"Dad..."

Jeff looked up and instantly wiped his eyes, "Scott! I, er, I didn't hear you come in. Er, coughing fit, you know." he swallowed and looked away to hide his embarrassment.

"You're going to get better you know, you don't have to, er, be afraid." Scott became very fascinated with his hands and couldn't help thinking about how awkward the sitaution felt.

"Jeez Scott, I'm not afraid!" Jeff laughed and stimulated another coughing fit, Scott helped his father sit forward.

"Shhh, everything's gonna be fine, Dad, but er, I have something to tell you. Virgil's gone..." His father cast him a sharp look and with that, Scott lost his nerve, "On holiday, he asked for some time off and I figured he needed the vaction."

Jeff looked at his oldest son incredulously, "I can always tell when you're lying to me Scott, even when I'm sick."

Scott swallowed hard, "I don't know where he is, he disappeared during the mission, John and I have been to look for him, but we couldn't find him."

"Biosigns?"

"None, but that doesn't mean he's dead; he may have taken his watch off, or it could be damaged, we just don't know."

Jeff simply nodded lay back down and closed his eyes. Out of all the responses Scott expected to his news, this one hadn't even crossed his mind, he figured it would have been easier if his father had screamed and shouted, or even cried than this. After watching his father for a couple of minutes, a rather nauseus Scott left the infirmary.

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Rachel approached The Hood tentatively with her head down.

"Sadie my dear, I hope that your punishment has taught you a lesson about obeying me. child?"

"Yes sir." she replied quietly, her head still bent forward. The Hood observed the damage to her skull, her blonde hair was crusted with blood surrounding a large gash on the side of her head. He almost smiled to himself, but knew he would have to regain the child's trust if the next part of his plan were to work.

"The man from International Rescue tells me that you and he are brother and sister, is this true?"

"By blood only, sir." She replied, her eyes dancing with fear for a second until she saw The Hood smile.

"Well well well, this is convenient. You know Sadie, I might just have a little job for you."

"Sir, if you please, I don't think I have the strength to..."

"Silence Sadie, I think when you see what it's worth you'll change your mind." Smiling the Hood produced a syringe from behind his back. "Since I took you in two years ago, you've been relying on me to feed your little, habit, am I right?" Rachel nodded. "Well, as I'm sure you're well aware, Heroin does not come cheap, I think its time you did something to earn to your little treats. Now here's what I want you to do, upon completion you'll get your fix, deal?"

Rachel reluctantly nodded, already feeling the slightest pangs of withdrawal.


	6. Chapter 6

Virgil slept restlessly, his battered body ached and stung and every breath was a painful labour. He awoke fully about 3 hours after Rachel had left him and although very disorientated and surrounded by constant darkness, he had a feeling that night time had fallen. He prodded his fingers tenderly over his cracked and broken ribs, wincing at the pain he noted that only two of his ribs were fully broken and the rest were probably just bruised and cracked. His raspy, laboured breathing concerned him though and he feared that he had a small puncture to his lung. He tentatively sat up and attempted to get his bearings as the room spun and danced around him. Not for the first time since his capture did he feel that his situation was utterly hopeless and now, alone in his cell, wounded and in agony, he held his head in his hands a wept, the violent shakes sending ripples of torture through his tormented body. He wept for himself, his desolate situation and all the injuries he had sustained; he wept for sick father; he wept for once again the loss of his sister; but most of all he wept because he wanted to go home.

About half an hour later his cell door opened and a large burly guard threw him a crust of bread and a bowl of water. If Virgil hadn't been so thirsty and desperate he'd have been angry at being made to drink out of a bowl like a dog, but that was nothing to the degradation he already felt at being completely helpless. He wolfed down the bread like he'd never seen food before, washing it down with the bowl of stagnant, foul tasting water; it didn't matter, it was liquid and he was dehydrated. After he ate, he leaned back against the wall, his senses refreshed he could feel the dull pangs of pain beginning to throb all the more. A wave of nausea washed over him and clutching his burning side he leaned over and vomited, hot tears stinging his eyes in response to the agony, he cried out in anguish before darkness blanketed him and he lapsed into unconsciousness.

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_Jeff looked on as his three youngest sons and his daughter played around the tree house. He smiled at the happy scene, a time when there had been no worries or cares and they had all been together. Six year old Rachel tore round as fast as her little chubby legs would carry her (although she'd inherited her mother's fair features and huge eyes, her slender build was not something that Rachel had acquired) chasing a thirteen year old Virgil who was running deliberately slow to give his sister a fighting chance of catching him._

"_Hey no fair! He never runs slow for me!" Alan scowled, even at eleven years old he still sounded like a petulant toddler and for once that made Jeff laugh. _

_Jeff continued to watch Virgil and Rachel in their game of tag, noting how tenderly Virgil treated his baby sister. As the father watched the scene, the sky began to cloud over and darkness enveloped his children, he cried out for them but received no reply. Heart pounding he tore through the darkness calling out,_

"_Rachel! Virgil!"_

_He heard a scream and then……._

Jeff awoke with a cry, his heart racing in his chest and his hair plastered to his head with sweat.

"Easy Dad, easy, it's ok, take it easy." Scott stood up to get his father a glass of water.

Jeff squinted at him through blurry eyes, "Virgil?"

"No, Dad, it's me, Scott." Scott looked at his father with pained eyes, guilt washing over him once again about losing his younger brother.

"Oh Virgil I was so worried, you were there and Rachel and the ground it ate you and, and, where's Rachel? Is she here? Oh Virgil, it's ok, there's no need to cry, I will always be here to protect you."

"Dad I told you, it's me Scott, Virgil's not here remember? John's out searching for him."

"I know Virgil, why don't you go find your brothers, it will be dark soon and you shouldn't be out after dark."

Scott looked at his father, his brow furrowed in concern, "Damn it, he's delirious." He walked over to his father's side and tilted the glass to his lips, "It's alright, Father. Here drink this and then I'll get Brains to take a look at you."

Jeff drank the water gratefully and then lay back down onto his pillow and drifted into another restless sleep. Once he was sure his father was sleeping soundly, Scott stood up and went to find Brains.

Scott found the Scientist looking intently at slides under the microscope in his laboratory, the younger man keenly absorbed in his work, a sight so familiar to Scott and yet now it was disturbing to see, for he knew that what spurred the genius on now was not enthusiasm for building a new aircraft, but urgency to save his father's life. Scott cleared his throat.

"Oh, hhhi Ssscccott. Hhhow's your ffffffdad?"

"Really bad Brains, he's delirious, babbling absolute nonsense. I'm really worried about him. Have you found anything that can help him yet?"

"Wwwwell not rrrreally, he just doesn't seem to bbbbe rrrresponding to the antibiotics I've bbbbeen giving him. I'm afraid it's a case of wwwait and ssssee."

Scott sighed and rubbed his forehead, the stress and worry were taking their toll and he had the mother of all headaches coming on.

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Alan slowly came round from his sedation and the first thing he saw was Gordon peering worriedly over him.

"Hey Ugly." Alan croaked and cracked a weak smile.

Gordon smiled in appreciation, but neither of the two young men felt much like laughing or joking. "How are you feeling, Alan?"

"Better thanks, a little groggy, but ok. How's Dad? Have you guys found Virgil yet?"

Gordon looked at him sadly, "I wish I had good news for you, Alan, but I don't. Virgil's still missing and Dad's still really sick."

Alan nodded and turned his head to stare at the ceiling his head reeling.

"What are we gonna do?"

"I don't know, Alan, I just don't know."

The two men fell silent for a moment and then Alan turned to his brother,

"Gordon, do you ever think of Mom?"

"Every day."

"Really?"

"Why?"

Alan sighed, "I dunno, I can still feel her sometimes. I miss the small things, you know even now. The stories at bed time, the way she smelled, the way she used to bake us cookies for our birthdays, our favourite kind. I remember she always made extra for me and Rachel."

"Yeah, everyone loves the babies!" Gordon laughed, prodding his brother's tummy.

"Do," Alan paused to search for the right words, "do you think Dad will be ok?"

"Sure he will, he.."

Alan cut in, "Gordon, I'm not that baby with extra cookies anymore, be straight with me, do you think Dad's gonna be ok?"

Gordon breathed out heavily through pursed lips and ran his hand through his auburn hair, "I really don't know and that's the truth. I hope so."

"Me too. Do you think we'll be ok, without Virgil and Dad?"

"Alan, stop, please. Everything's going to be ok. You'll see, Virgil will come back and Dad will get better, he has to."

"We've not been a proper family since Mom died, I don't think."

Gordon shook his head but said no more. Yawning Alan rolled onto his side and fell back into a dreamless sleep. The auburn haired man rested his head on the bed next to Alan, alone and lost in his thoughts and worries.

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Virgil was awoken by the sound of his cell door opening; quickly he scrambled to a sitting position and pulled his legs close into his body protectively. The door closed and darkness surrounded him once again, but he was very aware of another presence in the room. His heart pounded so hard in his chest he was sure his companion would hear it. Terror gripped him intensely; he knew his wretched body would not withstand another heavy beating.

"Virgil." A small voice whispered.

"Rachel?"

"You have to come with me: we need to go now while he's away."

"While who's away? The Hood? Rachel what's going on?"

"I've come to get you out, but please you have to hurry and do as I say, while it's just us in the base." The urgency in his sister's voice spurred Virgil on and he struggled to his feet. Clutching his side he felt his way along the wall to the door where Rachel took his hand and led him cautiously into the corridor.

"What, what made you change your mind?" He gasped; the strain of walking being enough to tire him in his weakened condition.

Rachel shrugged, "I dunno, I guess I just felt sorry for you. I, erm, I got this for you." The girl dug into her pocket and pulled out Virgil's comm. watch and handed it to him, "Kinda figured you might need it." She mumbled.

"Thanks kid," Virgil croaked, placing the watch around his wrist, he switched the on button and a blank red screen appeared in front of him. "It must be out of the range of the signal. Are we deep underground?"

Rachel shrugged again, "I think so, why?"

"No matter, I'll show you when we get out of here, just lead the way."

Rachel led him down the dark corridor until they reached a large doorway with a key pad, she typed in a code and the door opened.

"We have to hurry now, they'll know this door has been opened right away but it will take them about ten minutes to get down here, I'll lead to you to the forest, from there you're on your own."

"You're not coming with me?"

The girl shook her head, "Now run!" She gripped his hand tightly and pulled him along behind her. Virgil gasped for air, his punctured lung straining painfully under the force of the exercise and although he knew it wasn't good for him, it was better than getting caught. It wasn't long before they were surrounded by thick forest area and Rachel stopped, allowing Virgil to drop to his knees and catch his breath. He raised his wrist to his face, pleased to see that the screen was now blue, indicating that he was in the signal range. He pressed a button and said,

"Calling International Rescue, come in John."

The voice on the other end was practically a shout of relief,

"Virgil!" John's face appeared on the screen, "Where've you been? We thought we'd lost you for good!" Virgil looked astonished at the tears forming in John's eyes.

"It's a long story John. Listen, can you get my co ordinates and send someone here to pick me up? There's not much time."

"Sure thing Virg', by the way man, you look like shit!"

"You don't look so great yourself!" Virgil tried to laugh and groaned in agony as his side shook.

"Alright man, I'm sending Scott to get you right away, hang in there ok?"

Virgil lowered his wrist and looked at his sister who was sitting on a rock cradling her stomach like she was in pain.

"You ok?"

"Yeah I'm good!" she replied, a little too quickly. Virgil frowned but let it go.

"Please Rach' come home with me. We'd all be so glad to have you home again."

She shook her head, "I can't this is my home now."

Virgil took her by the shoulders and looked into her eyes, "Don't you miss us?"

"Of course I do, but I have a whole new life now."

He ran his fingers through her hair, "I life with a tyrant who is capable of doing this to you?" He indicated to the gash in her head.

She shrugged him off.

"Please, listen to me kid, I really want you home. We all do. You've been through so much and now I've found you I just want to see that you're safe and you're not safe here. What do you think The Hood is gonna do when he finds out you let me go?"

The blonde girl looked at her feet, "No one's gonna want me home, I'm a deserter."

"No one is going to see it like that, I promise. If you come home I will take care of you, you have my word."

After a long pause she looked up at him and nodded. Relieved Virgil sat next to her and waited for the arrival of Thunderbird One.


	7. Chapter 7

Thunderbird One pulled in for a perfect landing, the skill of its pilot obvious. As the jets whirred to a stop Virgil clutched his side and stood up, anticipating his older brother's descent from the craft. Rachel stayed where she was, shivering slightly in the cold wind. Scott emerged from his bird and ran to his brother, wrapping him in a tight embrace that nearly knocked the wind out of him.

"Whoa, easy Scott, I think I broke a couple of ribs out here."

Scott pulled back and looked at his little brother in concern, noticing the cuts and bruises across his face and the blood and vomit stains down his uniform.

"Jeez Virge', what the Hell happened to you?"

"I'll explain it all later, right when we get home."

Scott looked up and for the first time noticed the frail blonde girl perched on a rock, he recognised her instantly and his expression turned stone cold,

"What the fuck?"

"Scott," Virgil shot his brother a warning glance.

"No Virgil!" Scott marched over to the girl, took her by the shoulders and yanked her off her feet, "Where the Hell have you been? Do you have any idea the grief you put our family through, you selfish little b…"

"Scott!" Virgil cried, trying to pry his brother off the girl. Rachel squirmed in Scott's strong grasp and he let her go. She dropped to the floor with such force that her legs gave way beneath her and she landed in a crumpled mess. A gasp of shock and relief escaped her lips as she sat there quivering. Virgil ran to her side, "Rach' are you hurt?"

The girl shook her head as Scott turned his back on them.

"I don't believe this."

"Scott she's our sister, what do you want to do? Just turn our backs on her?"

"What you mean like she did to us? You don't walk out on the Tracy family and then expect to just walk back in."

"And why not? Since when did you make the rules, Scott?" Virgil shouted and broke into a fit of coughing, flecks of blood spilling out over his lips.

"Jesus Virge'"

"It's alright, I'll be fine, I just need to get home."

"Well come on then."

"Not without Rachel."

Scott sighed, torn between concern for his brother and hatred for 'the deserter'; he looked at Virgil's intense stare and knew his younger brother was not going to bend any on this one. He thought for a moment, but his concern for his brother won over. Scott nodded. "Alright, just keep that little shit well out of my way."

Virgil took hold of Rachel's hand, "Come on sweetheart,"

The girl shook her head and whispered, "It's ok, really it is, I'll just stay here. I'll be fine."

"See Virgil, she wants to go, let her go."

Virgil shot his brother an evil look and Scott shut up.

"Come on Rach', your obviously sick, look at you, your sweaty, shivery, I want you to come home where I can take care of you; where we all can take of you."

"I don't need taking care of, I've been on my own for years."

"And look where that got you?"

She looked at her feet and nodded again, allowing her brother to lead her onto Thunderbird One.

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Alan watched as Thunderbird One docked, his relief and excitement reducing him to a positively childlike state, he couldn't wait to see for himself that Virgil was ok. John walked across to where Alan was stood on the balcony.

"Sickbay's all ready for him, Brains is waiting up there."

"How's Dad?" Alan replied, his eyes not leaving the image of the Scott's magnificent 'bird docking, carrying its precious cargo.

"A little better actually, the antibiotics seem to be working a little better now and his fevers coming down."

"Then it's good news all round!"

John nodded, "Let's hope so."

The two men watched as Scott emerged from his 'bird, supporting a limping Virgil on his shoulder, Alan jumped and punched the air in happiness,

"I knew it! I knew you'd be ok!" he cried down to his older brothers happily. Virgil grinned up at him, Scott scowled. "Hey what's the matter Scott? He's home, he's safe!"

Scott said nothing but the look of displeasure on his face remained. Alan looked down at his brothers in bewilderment as John looked towards the open hatch of Thunderbird One. The older mans jaw nearly dropped to the floor as he slowly recognised the pale face waiting timidly to be invited down.

"Rachel." He whispered.

"What?" Alan looked to where John was staring and his eyes nearly fell out of his head. "Oh My God, Rachel!" Alan cried in delight. He tore down the steps toward Thunderbird One.

"Easy Alan, lets not be too hasty, eh?" Scott warned.

"What are you talking about Scott, she's our sister! She's home! Hey Rachel come down here!"

Timidly Rachel stepped down from the ship and was greeted with a tight embrace from Alan.

John lingered on the balcony quietly watching the scene below him unfold, Alan's unwavering happiness, Virgil's agony but contentment that he found their sister, but what struck the blonde man most was Scott's hatred and the dark looks he gave his sister.

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Alan practically dragged Rachel through to the living room where Gordon was watching the television.

"Hey Gordo?"

Not looking up from the TV he replied, "I know Virgil's back; I was gonna give Brains some space to check him over before I swamped him."

"No Gordo, look."

Gordon turned round, "Oh my God, Alan, you know we're not supposed to have guests here! Dad's gonna freak!" He looked at Rachel, "No offence Miss."

"No, Gordon, you don't understand,"

Gordon took a closer look at the girl and walked up to her, "Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry, have you been washed up on the beach? We'd better take you to sick bay; that's a nasty cut, now of course if _I'd_ been the one to rescue you….."

"It's Rachel!" Alan cried in exasperation.

Gordon froze.

"Hi, Gordon." The girl spoke quietly, smiling slightly in amusement at how little her older brother had changed; he'd always been a lady's man. For once Gordon was at a complete loss for words. He sat down slowly on the arm of the couch, his hand covering his mouth.

"Rachel, oh, wow." He looked at his sister and tears pricked his eyes, "We, we thought you were dead."

The girl before him shrugged, not quite knowing what to say.

Suddenly Gordon's emotion turned to anger, he stood up and roared at the girl, "How dare you! How dare you just come back here like nothing's happened! Do you have any idea…… you destroyed this family!"

Rachel shrank back; this wasn't the easy going Gordon she remembered, she'd expected Scott to shout like this, but not Gordon. Her heart pounded painfully in her chest as she suppressed to urge to run.

"Hey, Gordon chill out! You're frightening her!"

"_I'm_ frightening _her_?! What about all the fear she caused me?! Us?!"

"Gordon, it's in the past now, don't you care? We've got her back, she's safe!"

Gordon backed off a little, covered his mouth and ran from the room. Rachel coughed,

"Well, er, that went well." She laughed nervously, "At least he didn't grab me like Scott."

"Don't mind them Rach', they just need to get over the shock. We all do. This is great though. Oh my God you look so much like mum! We have so much to talk about!"

As he spoke, John wheeled their father into the room; the older mans eyes filled with tears at the sight of his daughter,

"Rachel!"

The girls face lit up and for the first time in years she felt a yearning for her father.

"Daddy!"

Rachel ran over to Jeff and wrapped her arms around him, as she looked up from her embrace she was met with the disapproving stare of Scott. Her brother walked past her and through to the kitchen without so much as word to anyone in the room. Rachel stepped back sheepishly as Jeff broke out into a fit of coughs.

"Oh God Rachel! What happened to your head?" The older man spluttered, "John take her down to the infirmary and get Virgil or Brains to take a look at that would you?"

"Sure thing Dad."

John put his arm round the girl and led her from the room.

"So, er, how have you been Rachel?"

"Ok I guess."

An awkward silence fell over them and in the moment Rachel felt another shudder run through her body as it succumbed bit by bit to the withdrawal symptoms. John noticed and looked at her hard,

"You ok?"

The girl nodded enthusiastically, "Just a little cold is all."

John frowned but chose to say nothing as they entered the infirmary.

Virgil was sat on one of the beds, his ribs and head bound in a crisp white bandage as Brains milled round him checking his vital signs and cleaning his cuts.

"Rachel!" Virgil exclaimed happily at the sight of his sister.

Brains turned and regarded the girl in fascination, although she was emaciated and filthy he could still see that she was an extremely attractive young woman.

"Wwwwwell hhhello Mmmiss Rrrrachel, Vvvvirgil has told mmmme all about you."

Rachel shifted uncomfortably under the scientists gaze and looked at Virgil.

"Come on Rach' lemme take a look at that cut." He said with a warm smile. Rachel nodded and sat down on the bed in his place. He peered at the cut and set about cleaning it. His sister winced as the disinfectant solution stung the wound and Virgil placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. She smiled weakly at him.

"Everyone's changed so much." She commented, "Alan's so tall now, and Gordon's moody. I don't think I can do this Virgil, it's been too long, it doesn't feel right."

"Hey hey hey, it's gonna be fine Rach', it's been a hard time for everyone but just give it some time; everyone needs time to adjust. It's been a huge strain since you left and everyone has some tough emotions to deal with now you're home. I promised I'll look after you and I will. Ok?"

The girl looked down at her feet and nodded.

"Ok, now let's get you to your room to lie down and rest for a while."

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Hours later Rachel awoke to the characteristic stomach cramps of withdrawal and her muscles were trembling slightly. Shakily she stood up as a wave of nausea washed over her. She stumbled over to her bathroom and vomited violently in her sink. She rinsed her mess away and groaned, knowing she wouldn't last much longer. She had to do it. She really felt she would die if she didn't get her next fix. Her conscience cut in though, her daddy had been so glad to see her; Virgil had been so kind to her. But Scott and Gordon, they didn't care and besides, she really needed a fix. With a heavy heart she reached into her jeans pocket and pulled out a communicator...


	8. Chapter 8

The boys and their father sat at the dinner table and waited for their sister to join them. Alan fidgeted in excitement at once again his whole family being gathered for a meal. Virgil chatted to John about his experiences as the Hood's hostage and how Rachel had bravely helped him escape. John smiled warmly at the story; his doubts about his sister washing away with every word. Jeff dozed lightly in his wheelchair, the stress of the day was starting to take its toll but he refused to miss out on this first family dinner to welcome his little girl home. At the opposite end of the table to their father and the vacant seat where Rachel would soon be sitting, Scott and Gordon whispered conspiratorially of their hatred for the black sheep of their family.

Just as their Grandma began to serve their meal, the girl of honour quietly entered the room and took her seat between her father and Virgil, opposite Alan. Alan grinned widely, taking hold of his sister's hand from across the table and giving it an encouraging squeeze. Rachel managed a weak smile in return and looked palely down at the meal in front of her; her childhood favourite, Chicken and Sweet-corn Pizza served with cheesy garlic bread and garlic dip for the crust. Had she not felt so nauseous she would have attacked the meal as though she'd never eaten before! The rest of the family tucked in hungrily, but the blonde girl picked bits of sweet-corn off the pizza and ate those half-heartedly.

"So, Rachel," Jeff began to speak, "What do you intend to do now you're back home safe with us? Would you like to resume your schooling from here via the internet? You're such a smart girl, a true Tracy; it shouldn't take long for you to catch up!" His voice was filled with love and pride and Rachel couldn't help thinking that this was alien to her; her father had never been proud of her, sure he'd always been pleased with her academic achievements, but her refusal to fit in had often overshadowed those achievements.

"I'd like that." She murmered quietly, now picking at the bits of chicken with her fork.

"That's my girl!"

"Do you still enjoy Palaeontology?" asked Virgil, remembering his sister's obsession with all things prehistoric. The girl nodded and felt tears begin to well up into her eyes, she kept her head down but felt a wave of nausea wash over her.

"Sorry, I'm really tired and I don't feel so good, may I please be excused I need to lie down?" Rachel spoke without making eye contact with anyone, she felt utterly sickened with herself.

"Sure thing honey, I'll come and check on you when I'm done, ok?" Virgil replied. The girl stood up carefully and left the room.

Scott waited until she was well out of ear shot before saying, "Well that was incredibly rude! She barely even touched her dinner."

"Lay off her Scott, she's had a tough time and this isn't easy for her you know." Virgil jumped in to his sister's defence.

"Don't tell me to layoff Virge! What are we gonna do? Allow her back into the family no questions asked and then let her walk all over us and do as she pleases?!"

"You're over – reacting Scott! She's tired and all this is a little overwhelming, we have to give her time to settle down."

Soon a full blown fight between the boys was raging across the dinner table, with a sigh Jeff raised his voice, "Virgil's right Scott and has anyone thought to ask what I want?" The croaky cry from their father stopped everyone in their tracks. The table fell silent as Jeff continued, "I've finally got my baby girl back and I want her to feel welcome, we didn't treat her right when she was here, we didn't notice what was going on in her life; the bullying, we are partly responsible for her leaving! Now we are being given a second chance to set things right and I don't want to mess that up and I will not have any of you messing that up for me, so you can just get used to her being here Scott, Gordon, 'cause that's not about to change!" Jeff fell into a coughing fit, struggling to get his breath he finished, "Virgil can you please wheel me to my room, I need to rest and then would you check on your sister?"

His middle son nodded and wheeled his father out of the room.

The other boys were left in an uncomfortable silence, not quite knowing what to say to each other. Finally John spoke, "Well I think we'd all best cool off and..." he was interrupted by the sounds of Alan's communicator watch bleeping.

"Oh hey Tintin." He answered to his young girlfriend.

"Hello Alan, I have finished on the mainland now, could you please ask Scott if he would be so kind as to pick me up?"

"Tell her to give me a couple of hours." Scott replied, relieved of the opportunity to get off the island and away from the bizarre situation he found himself in there.

"Tintin, Scott says he'll be there in a couple of hours."

"Thank you."

Alan looked at his older brother and nodded his thanks before leaving the room to help Kyrano clear up.

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A loud knock on her bedroom door awoke her from her light sleep,

"Just a minute." She called. She sat herself up and tried to steady her shaking limbs. She stumbled to her ensuite and washed the glaze of perspiration off her face. The room spun rapidly as she made her way back to her bed as quietly as she could. Lying down under the covers to hide her shaking body she called, "Ok, come in."

"Hey, how are you feeling?" Virgil asked as he entered the room and perched on the edge of her bed.

"I've been better." She replied honestly.

He felt her forehead, she was cool and clammy. He frowned, "I think you're coming down with flu or something." He traced his fingers down her face and let them come to rest on her carotid artery, "Your pulse is racing!"

The girl pushed his hand away, "I'm fine, just a little tired that's all!"

Virgil looked concerned but took the hint and let it go; he didn't want to do anything that might push the girl away; especially after what his father had said at dinner.

"Look I'm going to pick Tintin up from the mainland with Scott,"

"Tintin?"

"Alan's girlfriend, Kyrano's daughter."

Rachel nodded in understanding.

"I'm going to try and talk some sense into that hot-headed brother of yours, ok? You don't need to worry about him anymore; I'm going to sort it out."

"Virgil, you don't have to do that for me, really, I don't want to be the cause of more trouble!"

"Ssssh, it's no trouble. Now get some sleep, I'll be back in a few hours to check on you again, but if you're not looking any better I'm gonna draw some blood and do an ECG ok?"

She nodded and managed a weak smile. He rubbed her head gently, planted a kiss on her cheek and left the room.

"You ready to go?"

"You don't have to come with me Virge, you must be exhausted yourself, come on stay here, get well."

Virgil looked at his brother with earnest hazel eyes, "Scott I want to come with you, I hate fighting with you; you're more than a brother, you're my best friend. Please let me come with you, hear me out."

The black haired man frowned at his younger brother, "Ok, but take it easy ok!"

Together they boarded Tracy One and set off to collect Tintin from the mainland.

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Rachel didn't know how long she'd been asleep for when the commotion began, but she awoke to the sounds of shouting and her grandmother screaming. Drowsily and weakly she staggered out of bed, dripping with perspiration and ravenous for her drugs fix that she knew would have arrived with the Hood and his men. She was in too much agony to feel guilty even when she heard her father's cries of fear and pain turn into a major coughing fit. She stumbled into the living room and bore witness to the devastation around her; there were 6 HUGE Malaysian men in the centre of the room, each had a firm grip on a member of her family, her father had given up struggling against them and was trying to catch his breath; Alan was unconscious in one of the men's grip, blood pouring from a gash in his head; John had cuts and scrapes all over him and a knife wound to his leg, he was starting to lose consciousness, two men were holding a viciously fighting Gordon and one man had a tight grip around her Grandma's waist. At the side of the room the Hood had a firm grip on Brains, the scientist whimpering desperately. Gordon spotted his sister first,

"Rachel, run!" he cried, but his sister remained frozen to the spot in dismay.

"Come here, Sadie." The Hood commanded.

"Sadie?" Gordon muttered under his breath.

The shivering blonde girl stepped towards the Hood, who grabbed her with his free hand.

"I want you to see this, Mr. Tracy," her father raised his head weakly, "I want you to see your traitor!"

"No!" The old man gasped weakly.

"Yes! And do you want to know why?"

Rachel lowered her head in shame.

"Tell them why Sadie."

The girl shook her head, her arm wrapped around her stomach as she rocked herself through the agonising muscle cramps.

"Your daughter, Mr Tracy, is a drug addict who sold out her own family for a fix of heroin." He said triumphantly, "A fix of heroin that doesn't even exist!"

Rachel looked shocked and then sank to the floor in tears, the shakes of withdrawal tearing through her body. The Hood nodded at his men and they began to lead the Tracy family out of their home. As Gordon was pushed roughly past his sister he spat at her in disgust. Rachel was left on her own on Tracy island sobbing her heart out on the living room floor.


	9. Chapter 9

**Sorry for the very long delay folks; I'm at ****uni**** and this year is tough so bear with me!**** Warning, this chapter deals with sensitive issues of bully****ing, drug abuse, paedophilia, rape and withdrawal**** if you're under 18 I wouldn't read on. I try not to be too graphic with this kind of content but it is adult material.**

Rachel staggered down to the infirmary and began to rummage through the cupboards and boxes. Her shaking, sweating hands grappling desperately for the fix that would help her think straight and decide what to do. She clumsily threw herself at the large locked cabinet behind the screen at the other end of the darkened sick bay and was relieved to find it open; Virgil must have used some of the supplies recently to treat his own injuries. She reached up and found a bottle of pills marked, metoclopramide. Without thinking she opened the bottle and swallowed half of it's contents. Still shivering, Rachel pocketed the bottle and felt mildly better knowing that she would be over the withdrawal symptoms soon.

Steadying herself on the units and beds that lined the infirmary she made her way back to the living room. The scene of devastation overwhelmed her, ornaments were smashed, pictures torn, lamps and chairs overturned. Her stomach lurched at the sight of the drips of blood that trailed out of the door. The room spun wildly as she lowered herself to the floor and drowsiness overcame her. Her heavy eyes closed and the young girl sprawled out, unconscious on the cold floor.

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As Tracy One landed, Virgil felt truly optimistic for the first time in weeks. Scott had finally agreed to give Rachel a chance and had even confessed that his behaviour had been unreasonable. Tin Tin was looking forward to meeting Rachel, saying how nice it would be to have another young female presence around the island.

"I'm starving; it's been hours since I've eaten, do you think your Grandma would mind heating me up some of her broth?" Tin Tin enquired as she walked up the steps to the villa.

"I'm sure she won't mind a bit, Tin Tin; that is if you have the chance to ask her, Alan's probably going to pounce on you the minute we walk through the door." Scott laughed.

The opened the door into the hallway, the villa was unnaturally quiet.

"Well, he can't have missed me that much..." Tin Tin sounded disappointed.

"He probably just fell asleep, Tin. Come on, let's go and fix you something to eat." Virgil said, the silence concerned him, he glanced at Scott and saw that he also had the same worried look on his face; something was just not right.

"I'm going to go and check on Rachel," Virgil said as he started heading towards her bedroom.

Scott and Tin Tin entered the kitchen.

"Shit!" Scott cried at the sight of the broken windows and the trail of blood leading to them from the portal into the living room. He raced into the living room and took in the scene of chaos around him.

He looked to the floor by the far wall,

"Rachel!"

Scott ran over to his younger sister,

"Oh God, Rachel."

He shook her shoulders lightly but she didn't stir.

"Virgil!" He shouted.

Scott gently tapped the blonde girl's face, "Come on sweetheart, wake up. I'm sorry, I'm not mad with you anymore, I just want you to wake up."

Virgil entered the living room and was at Scott's side in a flash. The darker haired man moved out of his brother's way, his eyes welled up slightly, the one time he could have seen his sister again and he had messed it up; now he was going to lose her and she would always believe he hated her. He watched Virgil looking her over.

"Is she dead?"

Virgil shook his head but continued to concentrate. Her pulse was thready and rapid and she was pale, her breathing was shallow. He gave her a rough shake and she moaned slightly. Both men sighed in relief.

Tin Tin raced into the living room, "Everyone's gone!"

"Dad..." Scott left that thought incomplete and turned back to his brother and sister.

"What happened to her?" asked Tin TIn

"I don't know." Virgil replied, he then spoke softly to his sister, "Ok Rach, I'm just going to put you in a better position so you can breathe better, ok?"

Virgil began to place the girl in the recovery position, as he did so, he felt a lump in her pocket. Gently he reached in and pulled the bottle out.

"Metoclopramide, oh Rachel." He murmured while opening the bottle. "She's taken near on the whole bottle."

"What's that?" Scott knelt beside his sister and looked at her, his face lined with concern.

"It's an anti nauseant and anti emetic – it stops vomiting – although I doubt she knew that. What was she playing at?"

"Will she be alright?"

"I think so, I need to get her to the infirmary, put her on the monitor."

Gently, Scott scooped the girl up into his arms and carried her down to the medical wing.

"What are we going to do about everyone?" Tin Tin asked, tears flowing down her face at the idea of never seeing her father or Alan again.

"We'll have to wait until Rachel wakes up and find out what happened, right now we've got nothing to go on." Virgil replied.

"I'll put my money on the Hood." Scott said grimly through clenched teeth.

"We don't know anything yet."

"Can't you wake her up with anything?" Tin Tin asked anxiously.

"I'm not putting anymore drugs in her system, we'll have to wait." Virgil grumbled as he connected the electrodes to Rachel's chest and connected her to the monitor. He covered her up with a blanket and the three of them sat back and waited next to her bed.

They didn't have to wait long before Rachel started to stir. Virgil was by her side instantly.

"Hey sweetheart, how do you feel?" He smoothed the hair back on her head. She looked even worse than she had when he'd first seen her. Her face seemed thinner and even gaunter and her eyes were darker. Her greasy hair was limp and straggly and she shook slightly despite the warm covers.

His sister coughed slightly, "Like Hell." She rasped.

She felt someone take hold of her hand, looking up she saw it was Scott. He gave her a small smile,

"You had us worried there, kiddo!"

"I'm sorry." She said weakly, avoiding her eldest brother's gaze.

"Rachel, what happened while we were away? Where's dad, Gordon, Alan and everyone?"

The beeps from the monitor increased their pace dramatically, "Oh God! I thought it was a dream! Was it real? Oh God it's all my fault!" tears rolled freely down her face.

"What do you mean, Rach?"

"Virgil, I'm so sorry, I couldn't help it! I was tricked! Oh God I'm so sorry."

Scott dropped her hand, "Explain yourself, NOW."

Rachel took a deep breath and tried to stop sobbing, "It's a really long story."

"Cut it short." Scott commanded.

"I ran away because nobody cared, I hated school, my life was miserable and nobody noticed. At school I shared a dorm with 5 other girls, Rosie, Lucy, Jenny, Kirsty and Crystal. They hated me from the moment they met me."

_A tiny blonde girl unpacked her belongings into her cupboard, stashing her beloved dinosaur and fossil books under her bed for safe keeping. The other girls in the dorm were taller than her and dressed in the latest fashions. They looked perfect and Rachel felt intimidated as she stood in her pink tracksuit with her hair in plaits. The perfect girls were stood in a huddle, every so often looking over their shoulders and giggling at Rachel as they whispered their secrets to each other. Rachel sat down on her bed and hid behind her book as tears slowly slid down her face._

_Weeks later her isolation became worse, __Kirsty__ and her gang had ensured that no one wanted to be her friend. Rachel spent most of her time in the school library helping the librarian arrange books and reading as much as she possibly could, but after school hours when the library had closed there was nowhere for her to hide from the girls. _

_In the dining room at tea time, a new girl sat next to Rachel._

_"Hey, my name__'__s Carrie, I just moved here, is it ok if I sit next to you?"_

_"Sure." Rachel smiled. _

_"So, what classes do you take?" The red haired girl asked._

_"Oh mostly science and math__ but some arts subjects like history__, I'm a bit of a geek I have to confess."_

_"Wow that's so cool, I love science!"_

_"Do you, I'__m taking advanced science __classes __are you?" Rachel relaxed into the conversation; finally she had a friend._

_"__Er__no.__ How are you taking advanc__ed classes; aren't they for the students older than 16?"_

_"Well yeah, but my teacher's said I could because I already know the stuff for our year. I love natural science; I'm studying advanced biology, archaeology and geology. I really wanted to do palaeontology but they don't have any specialised lessons in it."_

_"Right, __er__ that's cool. What's __palo__ whatever?"_

_Rachel laughed, "Palaeontology, it's like evolution, natural history, rocks, fossils, dinosaurs."_

_"Oh ok. Look, you know what, I think I'm going to go and sit with those girls over there, I met them in an English class and we, __er__, we just had more in common."_

_Rachel nodded and looked back down at her meal, hating everything about herself__, no wonder no one wanted to be her friend. She was such a..._

_"You know what, Rachel? You're a freak!" __Kirsty__ said casually as she walked over to Rachel, "I mean, someone sits next to you, tries to be your friend, and you still manage to scare them off!" __Kirsty__ stopped at the blonde girl's table and leaned over the dinner. "Should you even be eating this? God, this is like, so unhealthy! I mean, if I had your figure I would definitely be trying to cut back on the pizza!"_

_"My figure?"__ Rachel looked confused._

_"You're FAT dumb ass! God, for someone who is supposed to be 'the brightest girl in the year' you __aint__ half stupid! I mean come __on,__ you must have noticed that you're one of the chubbiest girls in our year?"_

_Rachel looked down at herself, she'd always been a little bit plump but she'd never noticed before now. Tears welled up in her eyes and she ran from the dining hall. She ran all the way to her dorm, threw herself onto her bed and sobbed into the pillow._

"Rachel, I had no idea..." Virgil started

"Of course you didn't, Dad insisted there was nothing wrong with his little girl, 'Tracy Kids don't get bullied; Tracy kids are popular!'" Rachel's face was stoney, she was immune to the taunts and bullying now, even her memories brought back little or no emotion. "After that everything got worse, when I went into second year, my life was a nightmare."

_Rachel awoke to the sounds of giggling and whispering._

_"__Sssshhh__, she'll hear you!"_

_"I don't __care,__ let her wake up, what's she going to do?" __Kirsty's__ voice was prominent, "Dear Diary, today __Kirsty__ and her gang tripped me up as I was walking to my advanced geology class but for the first time I didn't care."_

_"We're obviously slacking then! We need to try harder!" giggled Rosie._

_Kirsty__ continued, "I just can't wait until I am a successful palaeontologist, working on TV and making big discoveries. When I'm famous for filling in the gaps in the __palaeo__---__anth__----__rop__----, whatever fossil record they will be sorry because they will all be losers on drugs, collecting benefits and stealing to buy alcohol!"_

_"The little bitch!"_

_"__Kirsty__ this is boring, she's so dull! Come on let's do something else!"_

_"Like what?"_

_"Let's destroy it, her precious diary!"_

_At this Rachel threw back her covers and launched herself towards the girls, lunging for her __diary.The__ girls giggled, "Look who's awake? Ready for some fun, girls?"_

_"Please, give it back; I just want to go to sleep."_

_"But we need to punish you for saying we're all going to become junkie losers!"_

_"I'm sorry, I didn't mean it, __I__ was just upset." Rachel said in desperation._

_"Still I think this needs to be flushed away, I wouldn't want it to fall into the wrong hands and have people thinking__terrible things about us." __Kirsty__ smirked._

_Rachel tri__ed to grab the diary, but Jenny__, a tall, lanky brunette caught her by her hair, "Yuk, this is so greasy Rachel, when did you last wash it?"_

_Rachel pulled herself free and in a blind rage swung a punch at __Kirsty's__ face, hitting her in the nose. Blood exploded from the other girl's face as she and her friends screamed._

_"Little bitch!" cried Jenny as she lunged herself at Rachel pinning her down and grabbing her throat. Rosie pulled her friend off Rachel._

_"Leave it, we can get her expelled for this and be rid of her for good!" The girls rallied round __Kirsty__ and took her to the teacher's dorm. Rachel rubbed her throat and gasped for air, knowing she was in serious trouble._

"I remember that, Dad told me you had been fighting, I couldn't believe it. Our little quiet sister fighting other girls. Oh Rach' I'm so sorry, I should have asked, I should have realised there was more to it! Did Dad know?" Scott said, gripping her hand again.

"He wouldn't let me explain, he was so angry, he didn't care." Rachel wiped away a stray tear, "He didn't care, no one did."

Virgil put his arm around his little sister, "But Rach, you were probably right, they are probably junkie losers right now, whereas you can get your life back on track!"

"And there's the irony."

"What do you mean?"

"They're not the junkie losers. I am."

"What?!"

"It happened after I ran away, I slept rough for 2 nights before I met Chubb."

_The chill wind of the night nipped at her nose and Rachel wrapped her jacket tighter around herself. She was starving, she hadn't eaten for 2 days and this would be her third night of sleeping in the cold. She felt like just going home and facing the music, even a place where she was hated was better than this. She shivered and kept on walking, looking for a reasonably safe, warm place to sleep for the night. She felt frightened, she needed a plan but with no friends and no contacts she had no one to turn to for help. She turned down a dark alleyway that sheltered her from the wind a little bit. She settled herself down against a wall and behind a large skip. Rachel pulled her hood up and nuzzled as far into her coat as she could before settling herself into a light and restless sleep. She was awoken a few hours later, at about 3am by a tall man._

_"Hey girl."_

_Rachel's heart pounded in her chest and she tensed up._

_"Please, leave me alone."_

_The man knelt down beside her and pulled her hood down and studied her features in the light of the moon._

_"Yeah, you're a pretty girl."_

_"Oh gosh, please, leave me alone. I just want to be left alone, please don't hurt me."_

_"I'm not __gonna__ hurt you, kid. How do you fancy somewhere warm to sleep for the night? I know this __guy,__ he takes in street kids and looks after them. He'll like a pretty blonde like you."_

_Rachel knew that she shouldn't, but the icy wind blew around her ears and she knew that if she wanted any chance of surviving as a run away and not having to go home then this was her best opportunity. She nodded at the man and allowed him to lead her through the alleys to a small room above an adult shop._

"I don't want to hear anymore!" Scott leaned his head against the wall, overcome with guilt and anger. "I just want to know what's happened to my brothers and Dad, Rachel."

Rachel looked hurt but carried on,

_Chubb was a very large man with a bald head and an oddly kind face. He looked Rachel up and down as the tall man introduced them._

_"Excellent Roy, you've done well! A Natural blonde! Our clients will be most pleased; she might even bring in some new clients!" The fat man grinned, "You look hungry, child, would you like some food?"_

_Rachel nodded, her stomach growling at the mention of food._

_"Don't look so scared, you're perfectly safe here, you will work for me and in return I will give you everything you need, food, a warm bed, somewhere safe to sleep. Sound fair?"_

_Again Rachel nodded, she was tired and hungry and just wanted to rest. _

_"How old are you darling?"_

_"13."_

_"Excellent, a perfect age!__ Ok we'll get you some food and find you a bed. All the other girls here are so friendly."_

_Rachel enjoyed a meal of fish and chips and was shown to her dormitory. The dorm contained 4 beds, all of which were empty._

_"Where are the other girls?"_

_"Working, they will be back by morning, you get some sleep." Chubb replied, "Oh, and one more thing, I just need to give you something to help you stay loyal to me." The large man produced a syringe and injected the contents into Rachel's arm._

Virgil clenched his fists in anger. "My god Rachel were you stupid! You let a pimp take you in and get you hooked on heroin?"

"Why would he do that?" Tin Tin butted in.

"To ensure none of the girls ran away, he would feed their dependency and he gets paid a lot more for them than any fix is worth." Virgil replied bitterly.

Rachel nodded, once again she was emotionless.

"And that's how my life in the 'safe house' began." She paused, "I'm assuming you don't want the details of how many middle aged, fat married men slept with me? How many of them beat me? How I would often sleep with up to five men a night?"

"SHUT UP!" Scott cried, banging his fists against the wall, "My sister's a dirty, junkie whore! I get the message ok!"

"Scott!" Virgil cried. But Rachel just shrugged.

"Anyway, that's how I lived until the Hood bought me off Chubb. He promised me no more sex, no slavery, just a good home. Said he liked me, he felt sorry for me. He paid Chubb how much I would earn him if I slept with 10 men every night for 3 years. He agreed, said in that time I'd get too old to be of interest. So I went to live with the Hood. He was so good to me. I had a normal life again. I read, watched TV, played computer games and I didn't have to do any kind of 'work' in return."

"He hit you, Rach."

"Just that one time, he was so kind to me until then. I've been through worse beatings than his – and more regular beatings too."

Virgil winced.

"The Hood told me of his enemies, International Rescue, how they were hypocrits who had left him to die. I hated you guys. I didn't know International Rescue were my family until we kidnapped Virgil. After that I was angry, I believed you had all had better lives without me and that I wasn't missed. I was going to kill Virgil, but... I couldn't."

"How noble." Scott said sarcastically.

"The Hood then told me to help Virgil escape and tell him where the base is. He said that was the only way I could get my next fix. I tried to resist, you were all so nice to me when I arrived that I tried, I really did. I felt so bad, I needed it..."

"So you called him?" Virgil put his head in his hands. Rachel nodded.

"Well I hope it was worth it! Was it a good fix, Rachel? Was it worth the life of your brothers and your sick father?" Scott spat.

"I didn't get it. Hood tricked me."

"That's why you took the metoclopramide..."

The girl once again nodded.

"I trusted you." Virgil murmured.

Scott lost his temper, "You little bitch!" he picked her up and shook her, she cried out as the electrodes ripped off her chest, "How could you sell out your own family?!"

"I'm sorry." She sobbed lamely.

Virgil was on his feet,

"Scott, put her down! Please. This isn't helping anyone, we need her to show us how to get into the Hood's base, we need her to help us rescue the others."

Scott dropped her and she fell to the floor sobbing. She could feel the shakes from withdrawal taking over her again, her stomach clenched.

"I feel sick." She sobbed.

"So do I." Muttered Scott.

Virgil left her on the floor but looked at her,

"Get back on the bed Rachel, you've got a rough ride ahead."

"What?" She moaned.

"Cold turkey, we've got to get you clean."

"Can't you just give me something?"

"Fuck off."

Rachel did as she was told and pulled herself back onto the bed. Virgil hooked her back onto the monitor and turned to Scott,

"We're going to have to take it in turns to watch her, make sure she doesn't steal herself another fix or choke on her own vomit."

"Let her choke."

"We need her, Scott. We can't do this without her knowledge."

"We can't trust her!"

"We've no other choice, we're going to have to."

Scott turned to his sister, his face still flushed with anger,

"You brought all this on yourself, you sold yourself into prostitution and you only have yourself to blame. You are a traitorous, junkie slut and as soon as you've served your purpose, you're out of here, understand?"

"Virgil?" Rachel sobbed.

"I'm sorry Rach, he's right." Virgil's eyes welled up and he fled from the room leaving Scott to the first watch.


End file.
